Skip Navigation
Search
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Materials Science and Chemical Engineering
HomeUndergrad EsgSpecializations

Areas of Specialization


Each area of specialization requires two design-related courses and three elective courses above those used toward the major. Other technical electives may be substituted only with the approval of the undergraduate Program Director. For more information on specializations, see our specializations brochure. 


Biotechnology Engineering


Biotechnology involves the application of various engineering disciplines to biomedical problems, requiring a sound understanding of an engineering discipline coupled with principles of biology and biomaterials. Students utilize elective courses to learn the fundamentals of biology and bioengineering.


1. The following two courses must be completed:

  • BIO 150 The Living World or BIO 202 Fundamentals of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • ESM 353 Biomaterials



    2. Three courses from the following:
  • ESM 334 Materials Engineering
  • ESM 369 Polymers
  • BIO 202 Fundamentals of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Biology (if not completed for 1 above)
  • BIO 203 Fundamentals of Biology: Cellular and Organ Physiology
  • BIO 328  Mammalian Physiology
  • BIO 334 Principles of Neurobiology
  • BME 304 Genetic Engineering
  • BME 381: Nanofabrication in Biomedical Applications
  • BME 404: Essentials of Tissue Engineering
  • BME 481: Biosensors
  • EST 392 Engineering and Managerial Economics
  • ESM 488 or 499 (See Note)
  • ESG 440/ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III/IV (See Note)

Note: ESM 488 Cooperative Industrial Practice (3 credits) or ESM 499 Research in Materials Science (3-4 credits) or other departmental independent research with permission of the program director may be used as a technical elective.
Note: ESG 440/ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III/IV counts for one technical elective with permission of the instructor and the undergraduate program director.


Civil and Environmental Engineering

Civil and environmental engineering entails the study, research, and design of infrastructure or processes responding to societal needs for sustainable development. The student completes one of two specializations. Each provides preparation for further study or employment in structural materials engineering, environmental remediation, or engineering involving design for environment (DFE).


Civil Engineering Track:
1. Two required courses:

  • GEO 102 The Earth and GEO 112 Physical Geology Laboratory 
  • GEO/MAR 318 Engineering Geology and Coastal Processes or GEO 309 Structural Geology or  MEC 363 Mechanics of Solids

(Note: Students substituting GEO 318 Engineering Geology and Coastal Processes in place of ESG 339 Thin Film Processing of Advanced Materials can not use GEO 318 as a required course for the Civil Engineering Track)

2. Three technical electives chosen from the following:

• ARH 205-G Introduction to Architecture
• ATM 345 Atmospheric Thermodynamics and Dynamics
• ATM 348 Atmospheric Physics
• CSE 391 Special Topics in Computer Science (Solid Modeling topic only)
• CSE 325 Computers and Sculpture
• ESG 301-H Sustainability of the Long Island Pine Barrens
• EST 330-H Natural Disasters: Societal Impacts and Technological Solutions
• EST 392 Engineering and Managerial Economics
• GEO 312 Structure and Properties of Materials
• GEO 315 Groundwater Hydrology
• GEO 316 Geochemistry of Surficial Processes
• A third course from 1. above
• MAR 392-H Waste Management Issues
• MAR 393 Waste Treatment Technologies
• MEC 262 Dynamics
• MEC 402: Mechanical Vibrations
• MEC 442: Introduction to Experimental Stress Analysis
• MEC 455 Applied Stress Analysis
• ESM 212 Introduction to Environmental Materials Engineering
• ESM 334 Materials Engineering
• ESM 336 Electronic Materials
• ESM 488 Cooperative Industrial Practice (3 credits) or ESM 499 Research in Materials Science (3-4 credits) or other departmental independent research with permission of the program director
• ESG 440, ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III, IV (See Note)

Note: ESG 440/ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III/IV counts for one technical elective with permission of the instructor and the undergraduate program director.

Environmental Engineering Track:

(It is highly recommended that students who intend to specialize in the Environmental Engineering track take CHE 131/133 and CHE 132/134 in place of ESG 198 in order to better prepare for highler level CHE coursework.)


1. Two required courses:

  • ESM 212 Intro to Environmental Materials Engineering
  • CHE 312 Physical Chemistry Short Course (or CHE 301 Physical Chemistry I)

2. Three technical electives chosen from:

• ATM 205-E Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences
• ATM 247 Atmospheric Structure and Analysis
• ATM 305-E Global Atmospheric Change
• ATM 345 Atmospheric Thermodynamics and Dynamics
• ATM 348 Atmospheric Physics
• ATM 397 Air Pollution and its Control
• CHE 302: Physical Chemistry II
• CHE 321: Organic Chemistry I
• CHE 361 Nuclear Chemistry
• CHE 362 Nuclear Chemistry Laboratory
• BIO 201 E: Fundamentals of Biology: Organisms to Ecosystems
• ECO 373-H Economics of Environment and Natural Resources
• ESG 301-H Sustainability of the Long Island Pine Barrens
• ESG 440, ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III, IV (See Note)
• ESM 334 Materials Engineering
• ESM 336 Electronic Materials
• ESM 488 Cooperative Industrial Practice (3 credits) or ESM 499 Research in Materials Science (3-4 credits) or other departmental
independent research with permission of the program director
• EST 392 Engineering and Managerial Economics
• GEO 309 Structural Geology
• GEO 312 Structure and Properties of Materials
• GEO 316 Geochemistry of Surficial Processes
• GEO 318/MAR 318 Engineering Geology and Coastal Processes (See Note II)
• MAR 301 Environmental Microbiology
• MAR 308: Principles of Instrumental Analysis
• MAR 318 Engineering Geology and Coastal Processes
• MAR 320 Limnology
• MAR 333 ​- H: Coastal Oceanography
• MAR 336 Marine Pollution
• MAR 340-H Environmental Problems and Solutions
• MAR 385 Principles of Fishery Biology and Management
• MAR 392-H Waste Management Issues
• MAR 393 Waste Treatment Technologies
• MAR 394 Environmental Toxicology and Public Health

Note: ESG 440/ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III/IV counts for one technical elective with permission of the instructor and the undergraduate program director.

Note II: Students substituting GEO 318 (Engineering Geology and Coastal Processes) in place of ESG 339 (Thin Film Processing of Advanced Materials) can not use GEO 318 as a required course for the Environmental Engineering Track.

Electrical Engineering

This specialization is intended to provide a depth of understanding of electronic devices, electronic materials, and electrical and electronic system design built upon the broad engineering science curriculum.


1. One of the following two-course design sequences:

  • ESE 218 Digital Systems Design and ESE 380 Embedded Microprocessor Systems Design I
  • ESE 305 Deterministic Signals and Systems and ESE 315 Control Systems Design


2. Two required courses:

  • ESE 372 Electronics
  • ESM 336 Electronic Materials


3. One course chosen from the following:

  • ESE 304 Applications of Operational Amplifiers
  • ESE 306 Random Signals and Systems
  • ESE 307 Analog Filter Design
  • ESE 310 Electrical Circuit Analysis II
  • ESE 311 Analog Integrated Circuits
  • ESE 316 Digital Devices and Circuits
  • ESE 319 Introduction to Electromagnetic Fields and Waves
  • ESE 332 Semiconductor Device Characterization
  • ESE 350 Electrical Power Systems
  • ESE 352 Electromechanical Energy Converters
  • ESE 358 Computer Vision
  • ESE 362 Optoelectronic Devices and Optical Imaging Techniques
  • ESE 381 Embedded Microprocessor Systems Design II
  • ESM 488 Cooperative Industrial Practice (3 credits) or ESM 499 Research in Materials Science (3-4 credits) or other departmental independent research with permission of the program director
  • ESG 440/441 Engineering Science Design III/IV (See Note)
  • EST 392 Engineering and Managerial Economics


Note: ESG 440/441 Engineering Science Design III/IV counts for one technical elective with permission of
the instructor and the undergraduate program director.


Materials Science and Engineering

This specialization provides the opportunity for in-depth study of the relationship between performance-properties-processing in materials engineering and its applications.


1. Students must take the following two courses

  • ESM 336 Electronic Materials
  • ESM 325 Diffraction Techniques and Structure of Solids

2. Three courses from the following:

• ESM 212 Introduction to Environmental Materials Engineering
• ESM 213 Introduction to Nanotechnology Studies
• ESM 334 Materials Engineering
• ESM 353 Biomaterials: Manufacture, Properties, and Applications
• ESM 369 Polymer Engineering
• ESM 400 Nanotechnology and Research
• ESM 475 Undergraduate Teaching Practicum
• ESG 440/ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III/IV (See Note)
• EST 392 Engineering and Managerial Economics

Note: ESM 488 Cooperative Industrial Practice (3 credits) or ESM 499 Research in Materials Science (3-4 credits) or other departmental independent research with permission of the program director may be used as a technical elective.
Note: ESG 440/ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III/IV counts for one technical elective with permission of the instructor and the undergraduate program director.


Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

This specialization addresses the rapidly changing technology in the mechanical engineering and manufacturing industries that requires a highly educated workforce with knowledge of mechanical properties of materials, materials processing, design, thermodynamics, statistics, and analysis.


1. Three required courses :

  • MEC 310 Introduction to Machine Design and MEC 410 Design of Machine Elements
  • MEC 363 Mechanics of Solids

3. Two courses from the following:

  • AMS 310 Survey of Probability and Statistics
  • CSE 391 Special Topics in Computer Science (Solid Modeling topic only)
  • CSE 325 Computers and Sculpture
  • ESM 212 Introduction to Environmental Materials Engineering
  • ESM 336 Electronic Materials
  • MEC 262 Dynamics
  • MEC 325 Manufacturing Processes
  • MEC 402: Mechanical Vibrations
  • MEC 411: Control System Analysis and Design
  • MEC 442: Introduction to Experimental Stress Analysis
  • MEC 460: Introduction to Robotics: Theory and Applications
  • ESG 440/ESG 441 Engineering Science Design  III/IV (See Note)]
  • EST 392 Engineering and Managerial Economics

Note:  Other MEC coursework (completed with a grade of C or higher) may be counted as technical electives with permission of the Undergraduate Program Director.
Note: ESM 488 Cooperative Industrial Practice (3 credits) or ESM 499 Research in Materials Science (3-4 credits) or other departmental independent research with permission of the program director may be used as a technical elective.
Note: ESG 440/ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III/IV counts for one technical elective with permission of the instructor and the undergraduate program director.


Nanoscale Engineering

The creation of functional materials and devices which involves controllable processes and transformations at the scale of billionths of a meter promises to become a major focus of future efforts in both engineering and scientific research. With a thorough background in materials science, engineering design, and surface and molecular chemistry and devices, this specialization prepares students for graduate study, as well as professional positions in materials and process engineering and research and development.

(It is highly recommended that students who intend to specialize in the Nanoscale Engineering track take CHE 131/133 and CHE 132/134 in place of ESG 198 in order to better prepare for highler level CHE coursework.)

1. Two required courses:

  • ESM 213 Studies in Nanotechnology
  • ESM 336 Electronic Materials


2. Three technical electives chosen from:

  • ESM 212 Introduction to Environmental Materials Engineering
  • ESM 334 Materials Engineering
  • ESM 369 Polymer Engineering
  • CHE 301 Physical Chemistry I
  • CHE 302 Physical Chemistry II
  • CHE 312 Physical Chemistry
  • CHE 321 Organic Chemistry I
  • CHE 322 Organic Chemistry II
  • CHE 345 Structure and Reactivity in Organic Chemistry
  • CHE 351: Quantum Chemistry
  • CHE 378: Materials Chemistry
  • BME 381 Nanofabrication in Biomedical Applications
  • ESM 299 Directed Research in Materials Science(with permission of Undergraduate Program Director)
  • ESM 325 Diffraction Techniques and Structures of Solids
  • ESM 353 Biomaterials: Manufacture, Properties, and Applications
  • ESM 488 Cooperative Industrial Practice (3 credits) or ESM 499 Research in Materials Science (3-4 credits) or other departmental independent research with permission of the program director
  • ESG 440, ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III, IV (see Note)
  • EST 392 Engineering and Managerial Economics

Note: ESG 440/ESG 441 Engineering Science Design III/IV counts for one technical elective with permission of the instructor and the undergraduate program director.


Engineering Management

Students may take a specialization in Engineering Management consisting of the following courses:


1. Two required courses:

  • EST 392 Engineering and Managerial Economics
  • ESG 201 Engineering Responses to Society


2. Three technical electives which may be satisfied by the following courses:

  • AMS 310 Survey of Probability & Statistics
  • BUS 210 Financial Accounting
  • BUS 330 Principles of Finance
  • BUS 340 Information Systems in Management
  • BUS 348 Principles of Marketing
  • ESM 212 Intro to Environmental Materials Engineering
  • ESM 336 Electronic Materials
  • EST 305 Applications Software for Information Management
  • EST 326 Management for Engineers
  • EST 327 Marketing for Engineers
  • EST 391 Technology Assessment
  • EST 393 Project Management
  • ISE 330 Information Management
  • Another upper level course in Business, Technology and Society, or Economics with the permission of the Undergraduate Program Director


Engineering Chemistry


The Engineering Chemistry major combines work in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Chemistry and leads to the Bachelor of Science degree, awarded through the College of Arts and Sciences. See the Chemistry Department for additional information.


Physics of Materials


Physics majors may wish to pursue a career in engineering physics, particularly in the application of solid-state physics to materials science and engineering. After taking five courses in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the student may become eligible for the master’s degree program. See the Physics Department for additional information.